How to Build Habits for Long-Term Success

Habit formation is the most important skill set a person can cultivate for lasting success. I've spent the last 20 years obsessing over my habits. Here are the most important lessons I've learned.  Motivation is dangerous. Your habits are the actions you take when you're not motivated. If you rely on motivation, you'll lose traction on a long enough timeline. Motivation is fleeting, unpredictable, and fickle. Be grateful when it's here, but never rely on it. I used to try to fix my entire life in one go. Put aside the need to fix everything; this is killing you. Cultivate one habit at a time. This is harder than it sounds. For example: "going to the gym" isn't one habit. It's a half dozen, depending on the variables.  Are you going to go to the gym in the morning before work? If so, do you need to wake up earlier? That's a separate habit. To wake up earlier, do you need to sleep earlier? Another habit. You'll dress differently, pack differently, go somewhere new, and need a workout routine: habits, all.   Pick one cornerstone habit and focus on that. We all have a minimal amount of discipline available each day. If you're trying to do too much, you're going to empty the tank too soon, and that'll be what causes you to fall off. Instead, focus on one habit to the exclusion of all others.  To start: Build the habit of building habits. Pick ONE (an easy one!) You aren't trying to change your life at this point; you're trying to codify the process of habit formation. Give up the idea of massive change and settle for the concept of Kai-Zen. A few easy habits to start: Take a course (10 minutes a day), daily reading/devotional, and daily journaling. Regardless of what you choose, pick something you have to do daily. Otherwise, you aren't getting into the habit of building habits. Forming a habit takes an average of 66 days (European Journal of Social Psychology). I like to round up to 70 days, which gives us a nice round number of 10 weeks. Focus on that one habit for the entire 10-week period. Use a habit tracker app to track your progress. I use HabitShare. https://habitshareapp.com/ Consistency is key. Try to do the same thing at the same time every day. Avoid trying to do things every other day, Monday/Wednesday/Friday, or at varying times. You need to take advantage of the power of habituation and anchoring. Be careful of evening habits. You're leaving yourself no margin for error. I prefer morning habits; if I miss for any reason, I have the rest of the day to make it up. To that end, have a backup plan in case of emergencies. What do you do if you get sick? Are you traveling? Can't go to work?  Once you've chosen a habit, look at your calendar and identify all of the potential risks on the horizon. Are you going on a trip soon? Is there a wedding coming up that'll keep you out late? Plan your alternative out now for every potential risk and plug it into your calendar.  [continues in the comments]

"Great acts are made up of small deeds." - Lao Tzu. Kaizen, a Japanese philosophy emphasizing continuous improvement, is not just for businesses. Applying it to our personal lives can lead to incredible transformation. Embracing the principles of Kaizen has been a game-changer in my personal development journey. Instead of aiming for monumental changes, focus on small, consistent improvements. Start by setting tiny goals that contribute to your bigger vision. Whether learning a new skill, adopting a healthier habit, or enhancing your mindset, take small steps daily. It may look like this 📚 Reading 30 mins daily: Completing 20 books in a year. 🏋️♂️ Exercising for 20 mins daily: That is 120 hrs of exercise! Building a healthier, stronger body. 🎓 Learning a new skill for 15 mins daily: That is 90 hours in a year mastering a new skillset. 🌿 Meditating for 10 mins daily: 60 hrs of meditation per year to cultivate mindfulness and reduce stress. 📝 Writing for 20 mins daily: 120 hrs in enhancing communication and creative skills. 🚰 Drinking more water daily: Improving overall health and skin complexion. 🎯 Setting aside 1 hour for goal reflection and planning: Ensuring alignment with long-term objectives. 🎨 Spending 1 hour a week on a creative project: 365 hours a year to nurture innovation and self-expression. Celebrate your progress, no matter how small, and learn from setbacks. The beauty of Kaizen lies in its sustainable and adaptable nature, making it perfect for long-term growth. #kaizen #personaldevelopment #continuousimprovement #careeradvancement

Don't boil the ocean Consistency is greater than intensity ALL "achievements" were once a series of small, consistent steps. Intensity burns out; consistency pays out. Consistency trumps intensity This isn't an empty platitude; it's a scientifically backed success strategy. James Clear's "Atomic Habits" delves deep into why tiny changes make a big difference. The compound effect of daily habits, no matter how small, leads to staggering results over time. Here are some points to consider that changed how I live and work: 📈 Consistency compounds: Just like compound interest, small habitual investments in your goals grow exponentially, not linearly. 🧠 Neural pathways strengthen: When you're consistent, your brain solidifies the circuitry associated with the task, making proficiency and success more attainable. 🛠 Skill over intensity: Intense efforts can lead to burnout. Consistency builds skill sets and resilience that last. Here's how I build them in to my day to day: - Start Small: Choose habits that are so easy you can't say no. Ensure you can perform them even on your worst day. - Increase Slowly: Gradual improvements are sustainable. Don't rush; trust the process of incremental growth. - Stay Accountable: Track your habits. What gets measured, gets managed. Embrace the Plateaus: Growth is not always linear. Plateaus can be periods of important learning and adjustment. - Build a System: Systems ensure your environment is primed for your success, nudging you towards your habits every day. Remember, the race is long, and in the end, it's only with yourself. Who you are becoming is more important than where you end. Stay awesome. And Stay Supered

How I'm *actually* getting habits to stick - after trying what feels like all the hacks out there: no surprise, it comes straight from Atomic Habits (a must read, btw) - "you must standardize the habit before you optimize for it" Sounds cool, but what does it mean? Basically - you need to start doing the thing before you can start doing it well. James Clear uses his 2-minute rule to illustrate this - you're not going to go from reading 0 pages of a book to 75 pages every day (for a sustainable time frame) in one try. But if you commit to reading just 2 minutes (or maybe a page) every day for a while, that will slowly become a habit - and then from there - it will be significantly easier to ramp up to more pages, or running more miles, or waking up earlier, or whatever it is you're trying to do. It's SO much easier to go from 1 to 2 (and even 1 to 10) than it is from 0 to 1. Remove the arbitrary standard you have in your head for what's good enough, or constitutes progress. Just add a little bit until that's easy and unconscious - and *then* work to optimize that habit. Does it take a little longer at the beginning? Yes. But does it allow you to actually integrate that habit into your life for the long term? Double yes. What habit do you want to try this with?

I see many people talking about learning from their failures, but almost no one mentions learning from their successes. From childhood, we’re hardwired to learn from our mistakes, but often, we ignore learning from our wins. Failures tell you what not to do, but success tells you what to do and how. It’s more than just a destination. it's a series of  -steps -decisions,  -and strategies that help us achieve our goals. Just as we go over and over again and analyze why we failed analyzing our successes can give you a blueprint for constantly winning and hitting your goals. For example: Say you delivered a successful running project, but you don’t understand what exactly you did to make it work, you won’t be able to repeat it again. That’s why this practice is so important. Use this simple and easy 4-step process to create our own recipe for success. 1/ Reflection: Take the time to reflect on your successes.  What gave positive outcomes? What strategies or steps worked for you? 2/ Identify Patterns: Look for repeating patterns in your wins and successes. Are there specific approaches, habits, or collaborations that helped you deliver? Take note of those. 3/ Adapt: Understand that Success is not fixed. It can change depending on the situation. Use what works well for you in different settings and problems to make sure you come out on top. 4/ Continuous Improvement: Learn from both good and bad outcomes. Success is not about being perfect; it’s about getting better. Once you create a habit of doing this constantly, you’ll be able to pinpoint what it is exactly that helps you move forward in life. Believe me, I’ve been doing it for the past 2 decades. It’s life-changing. P.S: What’s one success story from your life and 3 key things you learned? Don’t hide what you learned, inspire and help others grow by sharing your stories and tips.

The typical hustle culture tells us to go BIG or go home. 😪 It's no wonder why so many of us get stuck pursuing big, daunting goals but burnout before we get there.  But, trust me, there's a better way. If you want to build unstoppable momentum, this is my best piece of advice: By starting small (like really tiny), we can experience the thrill of achieving small wins, which in turn fuels our motivation, builds on our progress, and eventually propels us towards tackling those big, audacious goals. Here are some ways to get started:: ✅ Start small. Pick one habit that moves you towards your goal. ✅ Make it specific and measurable. "I will walk for 15 minutes every morning." ✅ Stack it with an existing habit. "After I walk, I will journal for 10 minutes." ✅ Track your progress. Cross off each day you complete your habit. ✅ Celebrate your wins, no matter how small. Reinforce that positive feedback loop. Real progress isn't built by taking massive leaps, falling short, and pivoting because you think, "Eh, I'm not cut out for <insert big dream>." You achieve big goals through tiny actions, day after day. p.s. James Clear's "Atomic Habits" is a fantastic guide for chasing down big goals, one tiny habit at a time.   Have you read the book? What's an atomic habit you complete each day? Let me know in the comments! ------------------------ Hi, I'm Michelle. I'm a former fighter pilot turned speaker, author, and coach. If you found this helpful, consider reposting ♻️ and follow me for more content like this.

9% of Jan 1st 2024 resolutions will be kept 23% won’t stick with it past first week of Jan 43% will quit before Feb 1st ever comes around Cold calling taught me how to reach goals. Progress happens with daily, routine, action. Cold calling is unpredictable in the short term, But reliable & predictable in the long term. Just like cold callers who reach quota or miss… The 91% who miss their new year’s goals rely on will power. - very predictable in the short term - nonexistent in the long term Will power… - responds to how we feel - easy to lose motivation - unpredictable The 9% are boring. They will use the next… 33 days / 792 hours / 47,520 minutes …to start building small habits. Win the little, micro steps. Every day. 1. Planning the day in the early morning 2. Capturing every to do & idea in 1 place 3. Prioritizing & sorting through tasks 4. Journaling wins or reflections 1 week then 2… And suddenly you’ll actually crave the habits. I know bc I’ve been at it for months. $20,500 paid to coaches in 2023 To learn and live it. I’ll reach my 2024 goal: building high performance sales teams and cultures. It’s a moon shot for me 🌖 So if I fail? I’ll land on the stars.✨ And you can too. As long as we learn from the best cold callers. Show up, every day, with the same action. So… What’s 1 habit you’ll commit to right now? 33 days to start building the habit muscle. On Jan 1, the new year will have no idea what hit it. You 🫵